


Shale’s Revenge

by Michael_Demos



Category: Les Schtroumpfs | The Smurfs
Genre: Other, kidnap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-20 09:50:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22182019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Michael_Demos/pseuds/Michael_Demos
Summary: A spriggan makes Shale kidnaps Greedy because he and the other Smurfs stopped him from eating the kids of Branch and Poppy. Long story. I finished this first, so if you like this then I’ll post the “prequel.”
Relationships: Sunny/Greedy (Sunny hasn’t told Greedy yet)





	Shale’s Revenge

**Author's Note:**

> At the end of the prequel, Azrael chases Shale away. If you have any further questions I can direct you to the comment section!

Shale only stopped flying when he was far enough away from the mountain, and sure that the orange beast wasn’t following him. Only then did he allow himself to relax, landing by a stream and examining his wing. It wasn’t hurt too badly; he’d be able to fly normally soon.

The spriggan gritted his pointed teeth as he thought about the Smurf who’d thwarted him on the mountaintop. What was his name again…

 _“Sunny_ ,” he growled, clenching his fists. Yes, that was right, Sunny Smurf. Shale had been pretending to be a troll so he could eat their children, but _no_ , that Smurf had to ruin everything. He’d almost gotten away with Sunny, but they’d fallen down the mountain. Then when the other Smurf- the fat one- had distracted him, he’d seen an opportunity and taken it, and had almost eaten that one instead- but again, those _Smurfs_ stopped him!

The trolls were a little difficult to deal with; they could reach him from the ground with their hair. However, the Smurfs were small and helpless. They’d be easier to catch, and therefore eat. Shale grinned evilly. Yes, he’d have to get one or two alone first, but then-

“My revenge will be _sweet_ ,” Shale hissed, licking his lips. “Almost as sweet as the Smurfs themselves!!” With that thought in mind, the spriggan found a small cave. Revenge would come, yes, but first- rest, and sweet dreams of sweet Smurfs.

* * *

“Hey Sunny, catch!!” With a grunt, Blossom Smurf lobbed the woven ball towards his twin brother. Sunny caught it, then tossed it to Gutsy. _There you go,_ he signed. The two had gone to a forest clearing along with Greedy and Gutsy for a picnic lunch, and afterwards had started playing a game of Smurfball.

Gutsy tossed it to Greedy, who quickly shoved a leftover muffin in his mouth. With his hands now free, he caught the ball and threw it to Blossom. The game continued for another few minutes, then when it was Gutsy’s turn to catch it, he didn’t react. The ball bounced off of his head and rolled away.

“Gutsy?” Greedy asked, retrieving the ball. “You okay?”

Gutsy was standing stock-still, gazing up into the sky with a tense expression. After a moment, he answered, “get under cover, right now.”

“What’s wrong?” Blossom asked. “Is it-“

_“Now!!”_

Blossom didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Sunny and Greedy and darted into the underbrush. Gutsy joined them a moment later.

“What is it?” Greedy began, but Gutsy shushed him.

 _There’s something out there,_ he signed, still staring at the sky. _I don’t know what it is, but I don’t like it._

The four Smurfs crouched there, hidden by the leaves, then Gutsy made a small noise of anger and realization. He had left the picnic basket, food, and blanket out in the open! _Stay here,_ he told them. _I’m going to hide the food._

Greedy, Blossom, and Sunny watched as the Scotsman Smurf cautiously exited their hiding spot. He made his way across the open space, reaching the blanket without incident. He packed up the food and blanket into the basket, looking around for whatever danger he’d sensed, then began to make his way back.

Greedy had almost relaxed, glad to see that Gutsy and the food were safe, then he heard something that scared him a lot- the rustling whisper of cicada-like wings. That could only mean one thing, he realized, going pale. The spriggan was back.

The spriggan- Shale- scared Greedy worse than even the thought of a food shortage. He had hurt Sunny, then attacked Greedy and threatened to eat him. He almost _did_ eat him, and it had taken Greedy two weeks to stop flinching whenever someone touched him. He eventually calmed down, and realized that Shale really was gone for good- or so he thought.

Gutsy was almost to the hiding place when he heard the rustling of wings. Throwing caution to the winds, he dropped the basket and ran. “Go, go, go!!!”

The Smurfs broke out of the hiding place, scattering. Sunny pulled Greedy along behind him as the spriggan landed in the clearing. Shale laughed as he struck out at Blossom, who narrowly dodged, then turned to chase Gutsy.

“Get to the village,” Gutsy yelled to the others. “Sound the alarm!!” He ducked under a branch, then pulled it back and let go. The branch snapped back, hitting Shale in the face and sending him flying. He howled in pain and rage.

Sunny risked a look back. The spriggan didn’t seem to be chasing them, so he slowed down somewhat. Behind him, he saw Greedy, panting for breath. Pulling Greedy aside, Sunny asked, _are you okay?_

Greedy nodded. _Yes,_ he replied. Sunny knew he was lying; Greedy was very pale, and his eyes were as wide as saucers.

 _Come on,_ Sunny said. He patted Greedy’s shoulder, offering a smile. _Let’s get back to the village._

Greedy and Sunny slowed to a walk, as the noises of the spriggan were inaudible from this distance. Greedy didn’t take his eyes from the Smurf in front of him, afraid that if he lost Sunny then Shale would find him.

Shale found them anyway. “I’ve got you!!” Greedy looked up, temporarily frozen in place at the sight of the triumphant spriggan swooping down on him, claws outstretched.

No. Not him. Sunny.

Greedy gasped. Sunny couldn’t hear Shale, or Greedy if he called out. As terrified as he was, there was only one thing to do. “Get _away_ from him!!” He barreled forward, shoving Sunny away. The spriggan’s claws closed on him instead, driving him into the ground. Greedy twisted and kicked, trying to avoid Shale’s gnashing teeth. He saw Sunny get to his feet with a horrified expression, and yelled, “run! Get Gutsy!!” Sunny was deaf, yes, but Greedy was hoping he’d read his lips. Thankfully, Sunny seemed to understand, and sprinted away.

The spriggan growled. He straightened up, lifting a struggling Greedy to eye level. “Well, well, well,” Shale snarled, “what have we here?!” He held Greedy with one hand, poking his soft belly with the other clawed hand. “You look like a tasty snack, don’t you think?”

Barely holding back a whimper, Greedy shook his head.

Shale chuckled. “Too bad, _I_ think so.” He opened his mouth, running his tongue around sharp teeth, and lowered Greedy towards his mouth- then paused. He grinned. “Well, why settle for just one? If I take you away, I think the others will soon follow.” He flapped his wings, moving them faster and faster until he had lifted off and was hovering a few inches off the forest floor. “Say goodbye to your forest, Smurf,” Shale said smugly. “You won’t ever-“

Whatever he had been about to say was abruptly cut off by the rock that hit him on the shoulder. The spriggan whirled around, glaring at the two Smurfs below him.

“Let him go, Shale,” Gutsy ordered. Beside him, Blossom hefted another rock in his hand. “It’s okay, Greedy,” he said. “Sunny’s gone for help.”

Shale mocked him. “ _SuNnY’s GoNe FoR hElP-_ well, that won’t be necessary!” He pressed a single claw to Greedy’s stomach. “I’ll tell you what. If you can find and rescue this one before I eat him, you can have him back.” He sniggered, adding, “and feel free to bring as many Smurfs as you want.” He rose into the air, laughing, then flew north quickly.

“No!!” Blossom started running- maybe Shale wasn’t as fast as he seemed, maybe Shale was joking, maybe he could catch up to him and-

“Blossom.”

Feeling Gutsy’s hand on his shoulder, Blossom turned back.

“We can’t do anything right now,” Gutsy said. “We have to get help from Papa.”

Blossom could tell he was just as worried, and nodded. “I know.”

* * *

Shale flew far and fast, never saying a word, and after about three hours entered a fogbank. Only then did he slow down, and peek at his prisoner he held against his chest.

Greedy had his eyes shut tight, and was mumbling something under his breath.

“What’s that?” Shale asked, stopping and hovering. “You’ll have to speak up; I can’t hear you.”

Greedy shook his head, and Shale lifted the Smurf above his head. “Come on, you can tell me,” he said with a chuckle.

“............,” Greedy finally whispered.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that,” the spriggan said. This time there was a threatening undertone.

“Please don’t eat me,” said Greedy again, louder.

“Oh, well if that’s all,” Shale said, shrugging. “Well, I’m hungry, how about you?”

Greedy was hungry, but he wasn’t about to let his captor know that. He shook his head, denying it, but his stomach rumbled and betrayed him.

Shale bared his teeth in a grin, then dropped into a steep dive. Greedy couldn’t stop a yell of fright from escaping as they swiftly plummeted, then as quickly as the descent had begun, it stopped.

Shale pried the Smurf off of him, dropping him roughly on the cobblestones on which they'd landed. Greedy took the brief respite as a chance to get his bearings. The fog wasn’t as thick here, so he could see that they seemed to be in the courtyard of a Smurf-sized castle, or what was left of it. There were fallen pillars all around, and what seemed to be the ruins of a flight of stairs that disappeared both up and down into the fog. Weeds sprung up through cracks in the floor, and a large, ancient-looking tree was growing in the middle of a grassy patch nearby.

It was this tree that Shale strode towards, seemingly ignoring Greedy. The spriggan shoved a hand into the thick leaves of the tree and rummaged around. While he was distracted, Greedy got to his feet and tiptoed away. He broke into a run, hardly daring to believe that Shale would just leave him alone like that. He soon found out why.

“Whaaaaaa-!!” He shrieked as the floor crumbled under his feet, revealing a dizzying cliff drop. He would have fallen but for a clawed hand seizing his arm and yanking him back.

Once Greedy was on solid ground, Shale surveyed him- pale, scratched up, and shivering with shock and fear- and snorted. “Pathetic. Stay here before you hurt yourself,” he told Greedy, then added, “you won’t be much fun to chase if your neck is broken before I get to it. You can’t escape anyway; the only way here is to fly.” With that, he turned back to the tree.

A few moments later, Greedy felt something hit him on the head. He picked the object up. It was a red apple. The Smurf looked up at the spriggan suspiciously.

“It’s not poisoned, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Shale said with a sigh. “You’ll make me sick if I eat you like that.”

Greedy cautiously took a bite. It seemed to be a regular apple… a crisp, delicious regular apple. He ate the rest quickly, setting the core aside. Once he was done, he hesitated, then said, “what is this place?”

Shale’s face darkened. Coldly, he answered, “it was called Naa’fang once. Now it’s the place where I come to devour my prey- _slowly and painfully-_ especially the ones who ask personal questions.”

Greedy swallowed hard. No more questions then.

* * *

Sunny raced into the village, gasping for air. As the worried Smurfs rushed to see what the matter was, and why he’d come back alone, he started signing frantically.

 _Whoa, calm down, Sunny,_ Handy said, approaching him. _There, that’s better. Now, what happened?_

Sunny quickly told the story of the spriggan’s attack. _-and then Gutsy told me to go get help,_ he finished.

Handy looked to Hefty, but before he could say anything, Gutsy and Blossom burst out of the forest.

“Help!” Gutsy said urgently.

Sunny looked terrified, and assumed the worst. _Where’s Greedy?!_ He asked, panic showing in his eyes.

“The spriggan flew off with him,” Gutsy explained.

The surrounding Smurfs started shouting questions and exclamations of alarm. Blossom bit his lip. “Please, this won’t help Greedy,” he said, trying to calm everyone down.

“Quiet!!”

Immediately, silence fell. Everyone turned to see Papa Smurf standing with his hands on his hips, a stern look on his face. “Will someone please tell me what is causing all this commotion??”

Gutsy again explained the situation. “Shale flew north, Papa,” he said, “and we lost sight of him over the trees.”

The red-clad Smurf stroked his beard thoughtfully. “I think I know where he went,” he said, raising a hand to quiet the Smurfs’ instant uproar, “but I’ve only read about it once, and it’s too far to walk. We’ll have to take the storks, and I’ll need volunteers.”

The Smurfs started clamoring to be heard again, and Papa listened, then pointed to four Smurfs. “Handy, Hefty, and Sunny, go get Feathers and Skydancer ready to travel. Tracker, come with me and we’ll see what we can find.”

* * *

“Here it is,” Papa exclaimed. He began to back down the library ladder, carrying a thick book. Setting the book on the table with a thud- a large cloud of dust emerged, making the other Smurf cough- he read the cover out loud. _“Creatures and Magic of the Old Forest of Lamberdan.”_

“What’s Lamberdan, Papa?” Tracker asked.

Papa opened the book. “Lamberdan was an ancient forest far to the north,” explained Papa, “filled with all manners of creatures and races and magic. According to the book, there was once a beautiful castle called Naa’fang, built on the mountains in the middle, but some great calamity occurred and stripped the land of its magic. The same event also plunged Lamberdan into a thick fog. The book also says that since then, the fog has cursed the forest’s inhabitants, turning them into monsters.” He looked up at Tracker. “If my suspicions are correct, that’s where Shale is from- and that’s where he’s taken Greedy.”

Tracker nodded decisively. “Then that’s where we have to go! I hope that monster doesn’t hurt Greedy,” he said.

“He’s not a true monster, Tracker,” Papa told him. “He was something else before. Perhaps we can find a way to break the curse.”

“What was he, Papa?” Tracker asked, tilting his head.

Papa shrugged. “I’m afraid we have no way of knowing,” he said, “but that’s not important now. What’s important is finding Greedy, with the help of this very old map.” He flipped a few pages, and stopped at an ancient-looking map. He tapped a spot in the far left corner. “That’s our forest.” He moved his hand across the depiction of the forest, then some mountains, then another forest. He stopped in the middle, tapping his finger on a roughly-drawn castle. “This is Naa’fang, in the center of Lamberdan. That’s where Shale and Greedy will be. We’ll need to be careful once there, as the curse will have made the entire area unstable. Who knows what we’ll find there.”

* * *

Greedy had tried to escape several more times- each one ending in what would have been a fall to his doom, had Shale not been there. On the fifth try, the spriggan had descended the stairs into a dungeon set deep in the mountain, and locked him in a cell. Several hours later, the Smurf was staring at the fog through the only window, a small opening that would have been big enough for him had he been Baby’s size. He’d tried calling out for help, but had received no answer except for Shale throwing apples at him through the bars.

The apples were almost gone now. The sun seemed to be going down, and Greedy was terrified of what might happen after dark. He paced around the tiny cell, shoving at the walls in the vain hope that there might be a secret passageway that would lead him to safety, but nothing happened until, frustrated with his predicament, he grabbed the last apple and threw it at the wall. It hit a protruding brick he’d shoved at before. That was sufficient force to move it, and with a _chink,_ the brick slid into the wall.

Hardly daring to believe his eyes, Greedy raced forward and placed a hand into the hole. A groping search revealed what seemed to be a latch, and he pulled on it. The next second, he had to jump out of the way as the entire section of the wall swung inward with a grinding noise. He peered at the dark stairway below, then glanced at the cell door. Shale didn’t seem to have heard, so he quickly descended, holding a hand to the wall for balance.

A few minutes later, the steps crumbled underneath him, and he toppled down with a shout of surprise. Thankfully he only fell a short distance before hitting the floor, and was amazed to see a pinpoint of yellow light at the end of the tunnel he was in. Thinking it was an exit, he scrambled to his feet and hurried towards it eagerly.

However, the bright light wasn’t coming from the sunlight- or moonlight- at all, but rather from a luminous orb set upon a pedestal. Greedy looked around the circular room and saw no exit. Going back up to his cell wasn’t an option at the moment, so he cautiously approached the spherical object. It was humming gently, and made Greedy feel uneasy, but there was something strange about it. He couldn’t look away, nor stop walking. Whatever it was, it seemed to be sucking him in. When he was almost close enough to be blinded by the brightness, he thought he heard a voice saying, _touch the orb._

Greedy shook his head. “...no,” he mumbled, fighting against whatever control this thing had over him. “I don’t… want to…”

 _Touch it,_ the voice insisted.

Against his will, his arm rose up and stretched out, reaching for the tantalizing object- his fingers trembled, he was almost there- he could almost touch it-

As soon as his fingertips brushed the unexpectedly cool and moist surface of the orb, a shock ran through his body and he was flung backwards. He struck the wall and slid down into a sitting position, struggling to draw breath. He watched as the orb began to pulse and flash, the light fading in and out faster and faster and even faster and then

_WHOOOOSH-!!_

A great gust of wind erupted from the orb then, along with the light, which passed through him, and then the walls, leaving him in total darkness.

* * *

Aboveground, Shale was patiently waiting for his captive’s rescue party to arrive so he could eat them, when a massive gust of wind obliterated the fog. With the fog’s disappearance came a blast of light, and Shale was completely blinded.

Once he could see again, the spriggan rubbed his eyes, utterly flabbergasted at what he was seeing. Not only was the fog gone, but the courtyard was cleaner than it had been in decades. No weeds, no moss, no stains. It was still in ruins, as was the castle around it, but the fog was gone. “I can see the trees again,” Shale said in wonder, stepping to the cliff’s edge. The forest was vaster than he remembered; the fog made it hard to tell distance. The only reason he’d made it here with that Smurf at all was- _wait._

Shale whirled around, hardly conscious of anything but getting to his prisoner. Surely he’d done something?! He _had_ to have done something!!

“Smurf!!” He bellowed in anger, storming down the flights of stairs. They were still covered in moss, but it was dried, dead moss. “This is your fault!! All your-“

He stopped. The cell was empty. Shale blinked, peering into the small space. There was definitely nobody there.

Shale looked again, moving down the hallway to get a better look. “Ahh,” he breathed. He’d seen the open wall. “A secret passage, ingenious.” He’d never found it, and he’d scoured these halls for years. He grabbed the key and a torch and unlocked the door, quickly descending the stairs. Once he got to the bottom, he saw what looked like a birdbath and a cracked stone ball. Staring around the tiny room, Shale spotted the Smurf, slumped against the wall. His eyes narrowed in anger, and tossing the torch aside, he stormed towards the Smurf and hoisted him into the air. _“What did you do?!”_

Greedy yelled as he was yanked into the air. The only light was the fire light of a small torch, carelessly discarded against the opposite wall. He couldn’t see much, but the person whose claws were digging into his arm was too tall to be anyone but Shale. Convinced he was going to be eaten, he pulled his arm away and fell to the floor. Scrambling for the tunnel, Greedy ran for his life.

* * *

Tracker sniffed the air from his perch on Skydancer’s back. Behind him, Hefty glanced at the thick fog.

“It’s thicker than Greedy’s three-pea soup,” commented Handy from behind them. He, Sunny, and Papa were riding the white stork Feathers.

Sunny tapped Handy on the shoulder, and when he turned around, signed, _do you think he’s okay?_ He knew that Tracker and Hefty wouldn't be able to see his hand movements from that distance.

 _Of course he’s okay,_ Handy replied with a brave smile. _He’s tough, right? You know Greedy, he’ll probably eat Shale before he even gets a chance to touch him._

Sunny laughed silently. _Thanks for that,_ he replied.

 _Any time,_ Handy replied.

Suddenly, Tracker shouted out, “something’s coming!” Handy translated the sentence into sign language for Sunny, and they crouched down- not a moment too soon. The storks, and the five Smurfs riding them, were roughly buffeted by an explosion of wind, and only the storks’ skill saved everyone from tumbling to their doom. Following the wind was a blast of light, although quite weak. It seemed like it had come from far away.

“Papa, _look!!”_

With the fog clear, Tracker Smurf could see for miles. There were trees in every direction, and a large spire of rock on which stood a ruined castle, perfectly framed against the starry night sky.

“That’s Naa’fang,” Papa said, and steered Feathers in that direction. Tracker needed no urging, and directed Skydancer to follow him.

* * *

Greedy had a stitch in his side. He’d never run this much, not even running from Gargamel or Azrael back home, and his side hurt. He wasn’t going to slow down, though- he could hear the furious shouts of the spriggan echoing up the stairwell below him, and the last thing he wanted was to get caught.

As he emerged from the darkness and into the bright moonlight, he hardly noticed that the fog was gone. He just continued running, gasping for breath, until his legs gave out by a fallen wall. From the looks of it, the area had once been a throne room.

Greedy, unable to get his legs to support him, turned to face the spriggan, who he still couldn’t see clearly. Shale, seeming to realize that Greedy had no place to go, had slowed down and was now stalking slowly towards him.

“What,” the spriggan growled, “did you do?!”

Greedy was still out of breath, and couldn’t answer. He just shook his head. This only infuriated the spriggan more, and he lunged. Greedy barely managed to roll to the side in time, and Shale nearly plummeted off of the cliff. By the time he turned around, Greedy had managed to get to his feet again and was running away again- or trying to.

Greedy’s head was spinning, and he was trying not to fall down. He dimly heard shouts of delight, then alarm, coming from somewhere ahead of him. As he reached the courtyard, his knees buckled once more, and he would have fallen, but for the strong arms that caught him.

Greedy immediately started pushing against the torso the arms were attached to, certain that it was Shale again. When the arms tightened around him, he started to panic, and shoved himself away. He fell to the ground, and only then realized that it was the pale, concerned face of Hefty Smurf that he was looking at.

“Greedy, it’s me,” Hefty said, helping Greedy to his feet. He glanced at Tracker, Handy, Papa, and Sunny, then back at Greedy. “It’s me,” he said again, “and Papa, and Handy, Tracker, and Sunny.”

“Sunny,” Greedy repeated, and turned to look at the anxious Smurf.

 _I’m right here,_ Sunny told Greedy, although his hands were shaking so badly that he had to repeat it a few times. He reached out and hugged his friend, and felt the stiffness of fear dissolve a bit.

Shale chose that moment to make his entrance by charging like a bull from the ruins of the throne room. Everyone scattered, except for Greedy, who was paralyzed with terror, and Sunny, who had placed himself between Greedy and Shale.

The spriggan got closer and closer, ready to rip them apart, but then something happened that made the spriggan pause.

_“Auxilirme spirituum Lamberdan saltus, tollehoc nefaras! Quod depellen tene braas in luciem et hic nihilir novisit!!!”_

It was Papa. He’d opened up the book _Creatures and Magic of the Old Forest of Lamberdan_ and was reading a spell from its pages.

_“Durissimo parsest nunc’aliis detraentes. Facielque illi sicut dimitto es monstrum fuit!”_

Once the last word left Papa’s lips, an ear-splitting crack rang out, and the world went black. A split second later, when vision was returned, the spriggan was no longer there. Instead, curled up on the ground was a pixie.

His faded purple clothes were ragged and torn, but Papa could tell that they had once been fine robes. The pixie had long black hair, and his diamond-shaped wings were a soft shade of yellow. Papa strode forward, motioning Hefty, Tracker, and Handy to put themselves between Sunny, who was still protecting Greedy, and the pixie, who seemed to be waking up.

The pixie sat up and opened his eyes, revealing bright green eyes set in a delicate face, and looked at Papa. Seeing the Smurf’s barely concealed rage, he inched backwards. “Ah… hello,” he said hesitantly.

“You’ll get no greeting from me,” Papa said sternly, “until you tell me why you kidnapped Greedy.”

The pixie’s gaze flicked from Papa to the chubby Smurf, barely visible through Hefty and Handy, then back to Papa. “I…”

“Well?” Papa crossed his arms.

The pixie looked down, looking ashamed. “Truthfully, sir, I do not know. When you lifted the curse on the forest you removed all memories of what I had done. I wish to apologize, please.”

Papa looked suspiciously at the pixie. He seemed to still think he was in his monstrous form. “What is your true name, Shale?”

At the mention of his name as a spriggan, the pixie flinched. ”...I was…” he hesitated, then answered, “Leriamber. Prince Leriamber of Naa’fang.” He looked up at Papa, face full of sincerity. “Please, let me apologize for what I have done.”

Papa looked down at the pixie, then nodded. He extended a hand to help him up, saying, “very well, Prince Leriamber, you may apologize.”

At that moment, the ground rumbled, and a slice of rock crumbled and fell away from the cliff. The Smurfs looked over, and missed a small smile that flitted across the pixie prince’s face. The smile was gone when Papa turned back, and he helped Prince Leriamber to his feet. “Hefty, Handy, Tracker, it’s okay,” Papa said. “Move aside, but keep a close eye on him.”

The three Smurfs looked at each other, then reluctantly stepped away from Greedy. Sunny, however, wrapped his arms around Greedy protectively. He glared at the approaching pixie.

Prince Leriamber stepped forward, the very picture of remorse. “I cannot hope to atone for my mistakes, and can only apologize- yet a thousand times would never be enough. Can you ever forgive me?” He asked Greedy. The Smurf glanced at Sunny, then Papa, then back at the prince. Slowly he nodded, afraid to do anything more.

“That’s a good Smurf,” the prince said with a friendly smile. Hesitantly, Greedy smiled back, relaxing some. The prince’s smile grew, and as it grew, it became less friendly and more sinister. “You know,” he said casually, “I’m still hungry.” He was now leering at the Smurf in front of him.

Greedy’s smile fell. “Wh-what?”

Sunny pulled Greedy to his feet, shooting a glance at the other Smurfs. It wasn’t needed; Hefty, Tracker, and Handy were already stepping forward to intervene.

“I said,” Prince Leriamber said softly, leaning towards Greedy, _“I’m still hungry.”_

Hefty gasped and lunged forward. “Move!!”

Sunny yanked Greedy backwards just as the pixie darted at them, and stumbled away from the prince. He turned and ran, dragging Greedy along behind him.

Greedy tried to get his legs to work, but it was all he could do just to stay upright. The pixie had taken flight and was speeding towards him with an expression of hunger and laughter on his face. Greedy could see Hefty, Handy, and Tracker running after them, trying to stop the pixie prince, while Papa rummaged furiously in his bag. His mind was blank; he couldn’t speak or form a coherent thought. It was just a thick, roiling fog of absolute terror.

Prince Leriamber snarled as he sped towards his prey. “I’ll make you watch as I eat your friends! Once I’m done with you,” he promised Greedy, “you’ll wish I’d eaten you when I had the chance!!” He was nearly close enough to grab him- just a few more inches- closer- _closer-_

“Gotcha!!” He beat his wings hard, grabbing the Smurf under the arms. Hearing the other Smurfs’ cries of alarm, he flew out of their reach. “You must’ve put on weight,” he commented to the limp Smurf. Hearing a mumble from his captive, he chuckled. “Well, that’s more for me to eat.” He turned to the Smurfs on the cliff below, then looked at Greedy. He thought for a moment, then scowled. “Actually, you made me lose my appetite. I guess I’ll just have to destroy you instead.” With that, he let go.

* * *

Sunny watched in horror as Greedy plummeted past him. Barely conscious of what he was doing, he let out a scream and launched himself over the side after his friend.

As he fell, Sunny could hear his friends yelling from the clifftop above him, and Prince Leriamber laughing. He heard Papa shout something, then he was out of earshot. He pressed his arms to his chest, so he’d go faster, and sped towards Greedy.

Sunny caught up to his friend, and wrapped his arms around him. Greedy was completely limp and seemed to have fainted. “I’m here,” Sunny whispered. “It’s okay, I’m here.” He didn’t have a clue how they were going to get to safety, but for the moment that didn’t matter. Neither did the fact that his inability to speak and hear seemed to be gone. All that mattered was that he’d reached Greedy.

“Heads up!!”

_WHOOOOMP!!_

Sunny looked up. They were caught in the grip of the gray stork Skydancer, ridden by Hefty and Handy. Sunny could have wept with delight as he saw Hefty’s broad grin. Instead he said, “Greedy’s fainted! Can you get us to the ground?”

Hefty’s face showed shock, then he decided it could wait and nodded. “Handy, take us down!”

The stork gently deposited Sunny and Greedy on the grass by the forest’s edge, then landed in the shadow of a large pine tree. Hefty didn’t wait, however; as soon had Skydancer slowed enough so that he could get off he leapt to the ground. He raced towards where Greedy and Sunny were waiting, a look of concern written all over his face. “Are you all right?!”

Sunny didn’t look up from where he was sitting and holding Greedy tightly. “Yes,” he answered. “Greedy needs help, though.”

Putting aside his questions, Hefty crouched down next to the two, examining Greedy. He was pale, and covered in bruises and scratches, but otherwise seemed fine. “He’ll be okay once Papa gets here,” he said, “then Nurse can fix him up once we get back to the village.”

Sunny nodded. “Okay.”

Hefty scrutinized Sunny for a moment, then as Handy approached, gently pulled Greedy away. “Handy, watch for Papa and Tracker,” he said. “Sunny-“

“I know,” the Smurf said, standing. He followed Hefty a short distance away. “You have questions. I don’t know how it happened, okay? I just-“ Sunny glanced over at Greedy. “I saw him fall, and I-“

Hefty put a hand on Sunny’s shoulder. “You what?”

Sunny took a shuddering breath. “I realized that I had to get to him, that I didn’t want to lose him, and- I didn’t realize-“

“It’s okay,” Hefty said. “I get it. You love him. I’ve heard that some Smurfs can overcome really difficult spells if they reach an emotional wall.” He grinned. “After we get back, you'll have to tell him.”

Sunny returned the smile. “Right.”

“Papa’s here,” Handy called over, and Sunny returned to Greedy’s side, Hefty following close behind.

The white-bearded Smurf dismounted Feathers, leaving Tracker to pull a disoriented Prince Leriamber down. Seeing the pixie, Sunny snarled. Normally he was against violence of any kind, but the prince had kidnapped the Smurf he loved. Before he could take more than a single step forward, though, Hefty grabbed his arm. _I want to smurf him as much as you do,_ he told Sunny, _but I don’t think that’s the best idea right now._

Papa approached the unconscious Greedy, looking him over, then nodded once. He looked up at Sunny. _He’s going to be just fine, but I think it’s best for all of us if we remove his memories of this, as well as Prince Leriamber,_ he told Sunny.

The prince blinked slowly, the ghost of a scowl trying to form on his face. “...you. What did you… do to me.” He was in a sort of trance, Sunny realized.

He glanced at the pixie, then at Greedy. “Of course, Papa-”

Papa blinked. “But, your voice-?”

“I think the spell broke when you turned him back,” Sunny answered, motioning to Prince Leriamber. “I don’t care about that now, though,” he continued. “This must have been terrible for Greedy, and I don’t want him to remember any of it.”

Papa nodded, taking a vial from his bag. It was full of a milky white liquid, and he took the stopper out. “Prince Leriamber, come here,” he said.

The confused pixie wandered over. “...eat… you..?”

“No,” Papa said. He tugged the pixie down into a sitting position, and tilted the vial so that a single drop fell into the pixie prince’s mouth. Prince Leriamber’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he toppled backwards. Hefty caught him before he could hit the ground.

“Hefty, Tracker,” Papa said, “take him to King Goldenrod’s kingdom. Some fellow pixies should do him some good- and we’ll meet you back at the village.”

Hefty didn’t like it, but nodded. “Sure, Papa.” He helped Tracker get the pixie onto Skydancer, and they took off.

Papa Smurf then let a drop fall into Greedy's mouth, and instantly saw his young Smurf relax. He straightened up, restoppering and tucking the vial back into his bag. “Even I only mess with memories in an emergency,” he told Sunny. “He’ll wake up not knowing anything past the start of your picnic.”

Sunny smiled. “Thank you, Papa.”

* * *

Greedy winced as an ear-splitting yell pierced through the haze of sleep. “Owww,” he muttered, rolling over- or rather, trying to. The moment he moved, every muscle in his body screamed in protest, and he instinctively jerked back.

“Aaagh-!”

 _Thud_.

“Greedy?!” A door opened, and he heard an unfamiliar voice calling his name with alarm. “Greedy!! Are you okay?!”

Opening his eyes, Greedy sat up- propping himself up against whatever he’d fallen off of- and surveyed his surroundings. He was in Nurse’s sickbay mushroom, wrapped in bandages. Apparently he’d fallen off of the bed.

The Smurf hovering over him was Sunny, which didn’t make sense. He’d heard a voice, but-

“Greedy??” The voice was coming from Sunny.

Greedy frowned. “...Sunny?”

Sunny nodded. “Are you okay? I heard you cry out, and-“

Sunny, _hearing?_ That was new. With difficulty, Greedy hauled himself to his feet. Sunny reached out to steady him. “What happened, Sunny?”

”Oh, the Smurflings were being a little rambunctious-“

”No,” Greedy said. “To your voice, to the picnic, to me?” He gestured down at the bandages.

Sunny didn’t know how to answer his friend. “My voice..?” He helped Greedy sit on the bed, and sat next to him. “Papa found the spell that returned me to normal.” It wasn’t entirely a lie, he reasoned. “The picnic, though…”

Biting his lip, he decided to take a leaf from Clumsy’s book, so to speak. “A, uh, a storm started and you tripped.” Seeing that Greedy still looked expectant, he elaborated. “You lost your balance and fell into a bramble bush.” He motioned time the bandages. “It’s not as bad as it looks, I promise.”

Greedy chuckled. “Big bramble bush, huh… I guess it must have been.” He suddenly said, “look, um… until I get used to you having your voice back, would you mind if we communicated like we used to?”

A look of relief crossed Sunny’s face, and he answered in sign language. _You don’t know how good it feels,_ he said. _Everybody else is so amazed that I can talk again, so all anybody wants to do is hear me talk, so nobody leaves me alone. It’s getting a little suffocating, honestly._

Greedy laughed, then winced. “Ow..!” Rubbing his side, he continued, _don’t worry, I know lots of hiding places. I usually use them for sneaking away to eat, but I’ll share with you- just promise not to tell anyone else._

 _I promise,_ Sunny answered, and he meant it. He wasn’t just promising to keep Greedy’s secret safe, though- he was promising to keep Greedy safe. Nothing would ever happen to him again.


End file.
